Yielding to emergency vehicles is courteous and common sense

ROAD WARRIOR

October 29, 2004|By Dan Hartzell Of The Morning Call

Q: My interpretation of laws regarding emergency vehicles has always been that, unless I'm on a divided roadway and the vehicle is on the "other side," I put on my turn signal, pull off the road as quickly as safety permits, and stop. Recently I did this on Route 946 when an ambulance was coming toward me with all the lights flashing. Much to my amazement, the ambulance stopped next to me and asked if I was OK or needed help. I replied, "I'm fine. I'm following the law and yielding to you." The driver and his passenger looked at each other, smiled, and left. Many people respond differently; most think you only have to yield when the vehicle is coming up behind you. So, what's the law?

Susan Kirk

Nazareth

A: The law is a bit ambiguous on whether the provisions apply to oncoming emergency vehicles or just those from behind, and whether a divided highway, where opposing lanes are separated by a physical barrier such as a concrete wall or grass strip, makes a difference.

The law on school-bus regulations clearly specifies that motorists do not have to stop when the bus is on the other side of a divided highway.

But the state law "Duty of driver on approach of emergency vehicles" specifies only that drivers must pull over to the right, as quickly as possible while maintaining safety, "upon the immediate approach of an emergency vehicle" with its siren and emergency lights operating (or with just one of the two operating, in specified cases involving ambulances).

State Department of Transportation lawyers interpret the law to mean you must pull over for oncoming emergency vehicles, as well as those from behind, said spokesman Anthony Haubert. So by that measure, you

were right to pull over for the ambulance that day, Susan.

But Haubert could point to no phrasing in the law to back up the legal department's opinion. Essentially, he said, "it's a law-enforcement issue" with a determination made by a police officer, and later by a judge if you are cited and choose to contest the ticket.

Trying to discern the legal department's thinking, the Warrior assumes that "upon the immediate approach" can be interpreted as an approach from behind or ahead. And for that matter, if a fire truck is roaring down the cross street as you approach an intersection, its siren blaring and lights flashing, by all means stop to let it pass.

The law specifies that

when you pull over, you should stay clear of an intersection.

But the Legislature could smooth a bumpy road by specifying more clearly where the rules do or do

not apply to emergency vehicles as they do with school buses.

The law cites specific duties for the drivers of emergency vehicles as well, and includes a warning that "this section does not relieve the driver of an emergency vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons."

The types of vehicles that qualify as emergency vehicles are specified as well, and the privileges they're afforded -- the right to go through

stoplights, break speed limits and the rest -- apply only when responding to emergencies.

And by the way, unlike police cars or fire trucks, ambulances are not allowed to run stop signs or exceed the speed limit. Motorists still must yield to them

by pulling over and stopping, but ambulances should

be observing the basic rules of the road, according

to the law. In practice though, while most ambulance drivers slow down

at intersections to make sure it's safe to proceed, they don't necessarily stop,

according to the Warrior's experience. And that seems acceptable.

Everitt F. Binns, executive director of the Eastern Pennsylvania Emergency Medical Services Council, Allentown, said motorists failing to pull over for emergency vehicles presents a major problem for the drivers of ambulances and other emergency vehicles.

Whether because of loud radios drowning out the sound of sirens, or motorists being distracted by cell phone conversations or other practices, people just don't seem to be as responsive to emergency vehicles as they once were, Binns said. "There's no question it's an issue."

Bill Guth, a paramedic for Bethlehem, said emergency crews basically face at least some difficulties getting motorists to pull over on every emergency call.

And police enforce the law. Even the state police, who patrol mostly major highways, write about 300 citations yearly for failure to yield to emergency vehicles, according to spokesman Jack Lewis.

So if there's a question in your mind as to whether to pull over, it's probably